In a letter addressed to Gadkari, Harsimrat said tractors have been excluded from the category of non-transport vehicles in the new rules and it means that tractors used for agricultural purposes would be treated at par with commercial transport vehicles.TNN | December 23, 2017, 20:59 IST

CHANDIGARH: Union food processing industry minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday requested Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari to exclude tractors used for agricultural purpose from category of commercial vehicles. She reasoned, if not excluded, the decision would have a detrimental effect on lives of lakhs of farmers across the country.

In a letter addressed to Gadkari, Harsimrat said tractors have been excluded from the category of non-transport vehicles in the new rules and it means that tractors used for agricultural purposes would be treated at par with commercial transport vehicles.

She added that as the new law would come into force, all laws governing commercial vehicles would be applicable on tractors like requirement of permit, minimum educational qualification for driving besides financial constraint of higher goods and services tax which would go up from 12% to 28%. She requested Gadkari to reconsider the decision, given the demographic profile and economic condition of farmers in the country, especially in the agrarian state of Punjab.

​​This comes as a surprise to the industry as Rakesh was recently elevated to the position of Directo Sales and Marketing which was the third promotion for him in six years of his tenure in the company.